


you're the only one (who can turn me around when i'm upside down)

by BloodRaven55



Category: RWBY
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Light Angst, One Shot, Post-Canon, but mostly just, rated t for very vague suggestiveness, with married bees because i'm weak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27807163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodRaven55/pseuds/BloodRaven55
Summary: Blake was so driven and passionate— she’d already taken so many steps towards making her dream a reality. What if she came to regret settling for someone whose greatest purpose in life was becoming a mechanic?What if she eventually got bored of Yang?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 18
Kudos: 212





	you're the only one (who can turn me around when i'm upside down)

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by Yang worrying about whether Blake will think less of her in V8C4 (though there are no spoilers at all in the fic itself) and also by Yang's concerns about feeling directionless in V2. I feel like there's a lot to explore there with her character that doesn't often get touched on, so I wanted to dig into it a bit.
> 
> Yang's insecurities don't seem to come from a place of being afraid that she's not impressive enough for Blake in general, but rather a very specific fear that because Blake is such a big picture person she'll eventually grow tired of Yang who is far more motivated by individual goals. And I found that very interesting to explore.
> 
> Lyrics in the title are from I Turn to You by Melanie C.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Did the conference go as well as you’d hoped?”

Blake served another helping of lasagna onto her plate as she answered Ruby’s question. “Difficult to say, but I’m optimistic. I think we got our message across and that’s what’s important.” She exchanged a brief but meaningful glance with Weiss. “The world’s changed, and sooner or later our society is going to have to change with it.”

Weiss nodded, a smile that was considerably less rare than it used to be crossing her face. “Your speech was on every news station worldwide, Blake. I think it’s safe to say that you made your voice heard, and an impressively eloquent voice at that.”

“How does it feel to be married to a rising political star, Yang?”

Yang rolled her eyes at Ruby’s melodramatics, but she did wrap her arm a little more firmly around Blake’s waist. “It feels like I’m incredibly lucky,” she answered honestly, not bothering to hide the affection in her voice.

Her wife kissed her on the cheek in return, lingering just long enough to make Yang’s stomach flutter. “I think I’m the lucky one, actually.”

“I understand that you two are still sickeningly in love and everything,” Weiss said, shattering the moment, “but could you perhaps choose literally any time when I’m not here to express it?”

Blake laughed, turning back to her food, and the rest of the meal passed quickly, punctuated only by occasional small talk. It had been a regular occurrence for the past few years that the four of them would eat dinner as a team one night a week, a routine to make sure that they remained permanent fixtures in each other’s lives even though the war which had brought them together was long since over. Normally Weiss hosted as she had the biggest house, but since Blake had only just got home from Atlas that afternoon they’d settled on her and Yang’s apartment instead this time.

Eventually Ruby and Weiss said their goodbyes, returning to their own respective busy lives, and Yang’s mind began to wander as they cleared the table.

_How does it feel to be married to a rising political star?_

The words had been completely innocent teasing on Ruby’s part, but she found herself dwelling on them. That same question was playing on repeat as she washed the dishes, as she put the only half-empty bottle of wine back into the fridge, and as she took a seat in front of the television. She hardly even noticed what was happening on the screen, far too focussed on wondering why such an insignificant comment was bothering her so much.

Blake sat down next to her, curling into Yang’s side like she always did, and Yang instinctively pressed a kiss to the top of her head, smiling when Blake’s ears twitched in response. Blake might only have been gone for a few days, but Yang had still missed her dearly, and it was a relief to return to the comforting familiarity of sharing these small day-to-day activities with her wife.

“How have things been going at the garage?” Blake asked. “I meant to ask before, but we got kind of, uh… distracted.”

Yang let out a snort of amusement, knowing exactly what Blake was referring to. There hadn’t really been a whole lot of talking involved when Blake had first arrived home earlier, but in her defence they’d had to make the most of their time alone before Ruby and Weiss showed up. Her wife deserved to be welcomed back properly, after all. She redirected her thoughts before she could get lost in the extremely pleasant memory, absent-mindedly taking Blake’s hand in her own.

“It’s been fine. There’ve just been a few simple jobs this week— nothing major.”

Blake hummed in acknowledgement, playing with Yang’s fingers as the background noise of the television seemed to fill the room. The pieces abruptly slid into place, and Yang realised why Ruby’s harmless joke had got so far under her skin. She knew she was good at her work, and she definitely found it fulfilling, but nothing about it seemed to compare to even Blake’s least noteworthy achievements.

Her wife was basically helping to create a global revolution, and the most interesting story she had to share in return was that one of her customers had decided to paint their motorbike a painfully bright shade of neon pink. Blake always made an effort to take an interest in Yang’s work, but how long would that last when she was proposing laws and improving lives while Yang was covered in motor oil tinkering with engines?

Blake was so driven and passionate— she’d already taken so many steps towards making her dream a reality. What if she came to regret settling for someone whose greatest purpose in life was becoming a mechanic?

What if she eventually got bored of Yang?

“You okay?” Blake pulled away slightly to make eye contact. “You’ve seemed on edge ever since Ruby and Weiss left.”

Yang sighed. She should have known that Blake would sense something was wrong. Normally she was grateful to be so in tune with her wife’s feelings, but right now she’d rather that Blake hadn’t picked up on it. She’d just faced one of the biggest events of her career so far— she shouldn’t have to be worrying about Yang’s insecurities too. But she also deserved an honest answer, so Yang swallowed hard and tried to order her thoughts.

“Do you ever wish that you’d married someone more like you?”

Blake’s brow furrowed, and it took several seconds for her to reply. “What do you mean?”

“I mean— I mean that sometimes I’m worried that I can’t keep up with you. We’re both twenty five years old, but you have so much more to show for it than I do. You’re changing the world, Blake, and I’m just repairing cars.” She hesitated, her chest growing tight with emotion. “Is that really enough?”

_Am I really enough for you?_

She could tell that they both understood what she was truly asking, and Blake’s expression softened, her fingers interlacing with Yang’s. “Do you enjoy your job?”

It wasn’t the response Yang had been expecting, but it was easy to answer. “Yeah. Yeah, I enjoy it a lot.”

Blake nodded. “Why do you enjoy it?”

That was a more difficult question, and Yang paused to consider it. “I never really thought about it before. I’ve always liked engineering. Creating something new, fixing something that was broken— it's satisfying getting it to work just right. But the best part is knowing that there are people who need those things.”

She trailed off, realising what she’d just said, and it drew a smile from Blake. “Exactly. Every time you repair a vehicle you’re solving someone’s problem. Every time you design a prosthetic you’re improving someone’s life. Just because it’s on a smaller scale doesn’t make it any less important. You’re changing the world too, Yang.”

Deep down Yang had known that already, even if it had been buried under far too many layers of self-doubt, but hearing Blake say it out loud was immensely soothing. “You really think so?”

Her voice wavered just a fraction, and Blake gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Absolutely.” She hesitated, clearly debating something with herself. “There was a reason that I chose you as my partner at Beacon, Yang. Even back then, there was something about you which drew me in. While I was focussed on trying to fix the whole world, you were there to make sure I looked after myself. Maybe I fight for a cause, but you fight for the people around you. It's one of the things I love most about you.”

It felt a little like an epiphany— like she was suddenly seeing everything from an entirely different perspective. Yang had wasted so much time worrying that this would end up breaking them apart, and now Blake was telling her that it was actually one of the things which had brought them together in the first place. The revelation was liberating, but it also made Yang feel more than a little foolish for ever letting herself get so concerned about it.

“So you're saying that it's okay if we don't always have the same priorities.”

“More than that. I'm saying that our differences are complementary— part of why we work so well together.” Blake moved to straddle her lap, thighs bracketing Yang's hips on the sofa, and Yang felt her heart rate spike as the mood shifted. “Do you want to know a secret?” Yang nodded eagerly, and Blake grinned. “The whole grease-stained mechanic thing...” She leaned in, her breath warm against Yang's skin as she whispered right into her ear. “It's really fucking hot.”

Yang froze, momentarily stunned speechless, and then she burst out laughing. She felt far lighter than she had even a minute ago, and she was once again struck by how Blake always knew exactly what to do to ease the ache of even her deepest vulnerabilities. She leaned in for a kiss, wordlessly expressing her gratitude. “I'm insanely proud of you,” she murmured when they pulled apart. “I want to make sure you know that.”

Blake stole one more kiss before sliding off of Yang's lap to settle beside her again. “I do, sweetheart. I promise.” There were a few beats of comfortable silence as they both shifted their attention back to the television. “And I wasn't entirely joking that you make a very sexy grease monkey.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I've been in a massive slump recently so it feels good just to put something out there again. Anyway, any feedback except for non-constructive criticism is of course much appreciated, and I'll see y'all next time <3


End file.
